Last summer, my friend invited me for a day tour somewhere in Bataan. That time, I have no idea where we’re exactly going. Sumama lang ako because she said we’re going to beach. Sino ba naman ako para tumanggi? BEACH daw eh! G na agad. ‘Coz you know, I’m a Certified Beach Boy!
So our destination for this unplanned getaway is the Five Fingers and Laki beach at Mariveles, Bataan.
Why is it called Five Fingers?
The five coves appeared to be a five-finger when viewed above. Look at the aerial shot, it really look like five fingers.
Image source: Google Image (iamtravelinglight.com)
Laki beach is a privately-own beach resort. For this tour , it is the main destination. The entrance fee for a day trip is P300 while an overnight stay cost P400 (entrance fee might change as of this moment).
Five fingers is composed of different spots: Talain Cove, Nagbintana Arc, Tinalakan Cliff Diving, Pulong Kawayan Bat Cave, and Apatot Beach.
How to get there
By Land
From Manila — Mariveles, Bataan is accesible by private and public vehicles. Booking is easy, you do not need to book in advance.
- Board a bus bound for Mariveles from Manila. Your can either go for Bataan Transit and Genesis. These bus company servethis route regularly. Fare is around 280-305 pesos.
- Alight at Mariveles and ride a jeep or tricycle bound for Barangay Balon. Tell the driver you’d like to stop at Porto for the boat rental.
Note: For those who are only going on a day trip, the boat rental costs around P2000 to P2500. If you want to spend the night, the boat rent will cost around P3000 to P3500.
Destinations
Our first destination was the Laki beach. In all fairness, I didn’t expect this beach to be this good. I enjoyed its fine white sand plus the space is big enough to accomodate lot of tourists. We had our early lunch there since this is the only perfect place in the area to enjoy your lunch.
The beach is also picture-perfect. Dont miss to have your sun-kissed photo for your IG feed.
After our beach bumming, we proceeded to our next destination which is the Nagbintana arc. This spot is known for its beautiful rock formation. This spot is good for photoshoot. If you like, you could also also swim around the area but it feels like a shark will going to attack you anytime soon.
Syempre, don’t forget your mala-crown prince or princess posing in this place.
The view is surely breath-taking.
Nagbintana Arc: Five Fingers’ Cool Rock Formation
Tinalakan Cliff Diving Site
We didn’t stay long at the cliff diving site since most of us didn’t try to jump. After our picture-taking, we went back to the boat and proceeded to our next destination — the bat cave.
The cave tunnel is not that long. It’s easy to go inside, and its not that dark. There were also only few bats living in the cave.
As we swim, we noticed that the water temperature is slighly mixed. You’ll feel that its warm on the surface while its a bit cold underneath.
Pulong Kawayan Bat Cave
To complete the five destination, our last itenary was another rock formation. I can’t remember the exact name of this place, but the tour guide said its name was “Plain Rock Formation”.
Again, you’ll witness an awesome rock formations in this place. The place is good for pictorial. You’ll also find an instagram worthy view in this area.
Five Fingers’ Plain Formation
So, that was our day tour experience at Five fingers and Laki beach. Unfortunately, we were not able to complete all the five coves. Our tour guide suggested for alternate destination since two of the coves are also beach. We just spend more time on Laki beach instead.
Overall, I really enjoyed every destinations. It has each own unique features. At hindi ka talaga mauumay.
So if you’re planning to go on a day tour or even overnight with your barkada, this place should be on your list.
Thedz Alarte 